Memorial Hermann wins nursing funding from Obama's health care law

By Jeannie Kever |
July 30, 2012
| Updated: July 30, 2012 9:15pm

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In addition to Memorial Hermann, other participating hospitals include:

1 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

1 Duke University Hospital, Durham, N.C.

1 Scottsdale Healthcare Medical Center, Scottsdale, Ariz.

1 Rush University Medical Center, Chicago

Memorial Hermann Hospital is one of five around the country chosen for a $200 million initiative to train advanced practice nurses in an effort to boost the nation's health care workforce.

Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced the initiative Monday. It is funded by the Affordable Care Act.

Texas has a shortage of physicians and other health care providers, and it is expected to grow worse as more people gain health insurance when the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect in 2014. Advanced practice nurses could absorb some of the burden by providing primary care.

Her school, along with nursing schools at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas Woman's University in Houston and Prairie View A&M University, will handle the academic component, while Memorial Hermann provides clinical training.

Texas has 14,616 advanced practice nurses, including 2,313 in Harris County, according to the Texas Board of Nursing.

Memorial Hermann officials declined to discuss the initiative Monday.

Hospitals reimbursed

Rick Gilfillan, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, said each hospital will be reimbursed for the costs associated with training the nurses, rather than being given a set amount of money.

He declined to speculate how much each institution might receive.

Busen said the schools will be reimbursed for faculty who oversee the clinical placements.

Nursing schools have also been hamstrung by a shortage of nursing faculty - many nurses say they can make more money working in hospitals than they can teaching - but Busen said the four nursing schools are committed to expanding their programs if Memorial Hermann will provide the clinical slots.